Adventure Zones
__TOC__ What are Adventure Zones? Adventure Zones are the core environments for Neverwinter. Each one is themed to a location and story line tied into the larger story. Each Adventure zone has a base static map that is always available for players to join. Players share this map with others and don’t need to be teamed up in order to see one another. Each Adventure Zone has roughly 3-4 hours of unique content associated with it. *Persistent zone for 20-50 players. *Roughly 1/4 mile x 1/4 mile gameplay space. *Safe area at the start for players to recover in and to buy and sell goods. *Mix of guided quests and repeatable quests. *Regular zone event at set intervals. *Number of smaller mini-dungeons. *Instanced dungeon at the end (which can also be accessed through the lobby dungeon queue). Adventure Zone List Adventure Zones Protector’s Enclave The Lord Protector of Neverwinter rules the city from the Hall of Justice, the old temple of Tyr. Farthest from the source of the great earthquake that struck Mount Hotenow almost three decades ago, this area of Neverwinter suffered the least destruction. This good fortune also made the district a primary target for Lord Neverember. He moved an overwhelming force of mercenaries into the district, secured his base, and, ever since, has spent half his time here and half in Waterdeep. The Protector's Enclave stands mostly intact, and many former residents of the city have returned to live here alongside new immigrants. Although this district is the most stable part of Neverwinter, it chafes under the firm hand of Sabine, the general of Lord Neverember's forces. Spies watch every neighborhood and notable gathering place, and Mintarn enforcers march through the streets. When the townsfolk complain, Neverember shifts the blame to one or another of his subordinates and is subsequently hailed as a hero for making an example of the supposed scoundrel. He assures the citizens that he is doing his best in a bad situation. The Enclave boasts the best-stocked market in the city, thanks to trade from Waterdeep and other cities along the Sword Coast. The city taxes all transactions made here at a steep rate that the natives have grudgingly come to accept. The taxes pay for the Mintarn soldiers who watch every newcomer to the district with a sharp eye. In the enclave, suspicious or unfamiliar characters do not stay hidden for long. *'Theme:' Rebuilt City *'Denizens:' Citizens, Neverember Guards Blacklake District A ruined section of the city this once beautiful area is now ash and sludge from the nearby lake. The poverty stricken residents of the Blacklake district are popular victims for both the Nashers (who claim they are taking things for the good of the revolution) and the Dead Rats (just plain thieves). *'Theme:' Ruined/Overgrown City *'Enemies:' Nasher Rebels Tower District The Tower District is another area of the city destroyed during the cataclysm. Efforts to rebuild the district have failed due to the orcs of the Many-Arrows Tribe who have claimed this area as their own. Led by their spellscarred commander Vansi, the orcs have made their base in the mysterious Cloak Tower. Heroes are requested by the forces of New Neverwinter to re-take the River District from the Many-Arrow orcs, then venture into the Cloak Tower to defeat Vansi Bloodscar, the orc commander. *'Theme:' Ruined City *'Enemies:' Many-Arrows Orcs, *'Dungeon:' Cloak Tower Blackdagger Ruins The Ruins of Blackdagger Keep lay forgotten for decades until it was found and taken over by the Blood-Eye Bandits. Unbeknownst to them, however, another power was already at work in the depths, a Thayan Red Wizard named Kallos Tam. To control the bandits, Kallos re-animated Traven Blackdagger as a powerful undead, and had him take charge of the bandits. Now the Blood-Eye Bandits attack travellers along the High Road and lure ships onto the rocks, seeking magical artefacts for the Red Wizard. Knowing only of the bandit menace, Neverwinter has placed a bounty on the bandit leader, meanwhile a harper agent has also been dispatched to see if the rumors of Red Wizard activity are true. *'Theme:' Costal Cliffs and Abandoned Keep *'Enemies:' Blood-Eye Bandits *'Dungeon:' Ruins of Blackdagger Keep Neverdeath A cracked stone wall, patched in places with thick wood, surrounds the graveyard called Neverdeath. Consisting of two wide, roughly square areas of the city, Neverdeath is filled with rows of headstones interspersed with mausoleums and crumbling statues, often overgrown with withered grasses. Time, the Spellplague, and the cataclysm all took their toll on the graveyard, thrusting some sections higher than others, collapsing buildings, and revealing graves. Coffins now jut from small cliffs, and tumbled bones litter the ground. *'Theme:' Ruined Graveyard *'Enemies:' Undead, Cult of the Dragon Helm’s Hold Victims of the Spellplague have openly been accepted into Helm's Hold for years. It was thought the victims were treated for their illness, until the horrific truth was discovered. Now the town is under the control of a devil-worshipping cult led by their Prophet, a traitorous Succubus called Rohini. The players must stop the Cult's plans, save those it would sacrifice and the once holy place they would profane, and slay Rohini and her minions. *'Theme:' Besieged Walled City *'Enemies:' Devils *'Dungeon:' Lair of the Mad Dragon Ebon Downs The Netherese Shadowvar High priestess Syndryth is mustering a great undead army from the barrows and crypts of Ebon downs. From her new throne room deep in the crypts of the Royal Rise, she has made pacts with the Barrow lords of Ebon downs, granting them powerful Shadowshards, from which they can communicate with her and raise the dead to do their bidding. Under the banner of Kelemvor a contingent of soldiers lead by a Doom guide Vesper Soulhearth are trying to make a last stand against the wave of undead. *'Theme:' Lost Swamp and Barrows *'Enemies:' Netherese and Undead *'Dungeon:' Throne of Idris Vellosk Vellosk is the semi-permanent tribal encampment of the Gray Wolf tribe, Uthgardt barbarian werewolves in service to the Netherese in their war against the Thayans. The bloodthirsty pack leader Ethraniev Marrowslake has been conducting raids on nearby villages at the behest of the cruel Shadovar ambassador known as the Shadowkeeper. Heroes must invade Vellosk, confront the pack leaders at The Tribal Pit, and destroy the Shadowkeeper and Marrowslake. *'Theme:' Woods, Tribal Village, Burial Caves *'Enemies:' Gray Wolf Uthgardt and Netherese *'Dungeon:' The Shadow Den Icespire Peak For centuries the Icehammer dwarves of Torunedar have searched the Sword Mountains for rich veins of gold and mithral. While prospecting some ice caves near Icespire Peak, the dwarves discovered a dormant portal into the Elemental Chaos known as the Winterforge. Unwittingly activating the portal, the dwarves called forth a host of ice archons from the Elemental Chaos but had no way to control them. The dwarves were forced to flee the archons, leaving the Winterforge behind. The Winterforge summoned a frost giant named Hrimnir and his clan to command the archons and start a new icy kingdom amongst the Sword Mountains. Now the dwarves are under assault by frost giants, goblins and other creatures enslaved by Hrimnir. Heroes are need to fight back against the Frost Lord's armies, defeat Hrimnir and destroy the Winterforge. *'Theme:' Snowy Mountains, Mines, Ice Caves *'Enemies:' Goblins, Ice Archons, Frost Giants *'Dungeon:' Caves of the Frost Lord Chasm The southeastern quarter of Neverwinter lies in almost complete ruin, virtually flattened by the earthquake during the cataclysm. At the center of this wasteland yawns the Chasm—a canyon-like crack in the earth that spawns all manner of twisted and deadly beasts. There are increasing waves of plaguechanged creatures emerging from the depths of the Chasm and assaulting the Wall seperating them from Protector's Enclave. Heroes must descend into the depths of the Chasm to find the source of the disruption before Neverwinter is overwhelmed by this new threat. *'Theme:' Ruined City, Spellplague Caves *'Enemies:' Aberrants, Foulspawn *'Dungeon:' Spellplague Caverns Rothe Valley The drow of House Xorlarrin are seeking new sacrifices for the Spider Queen. The village of Rothe Valley in Neverwinter Woods is nearby an entrance to the Underdark and has become a target for the drow. Players must rescue the enslaved villagers, then enter the Underdark to confront Syndrith, the high priestess of Lolth in her temple. *'Theme:' Pillaged Farms, Underdark *'Enemies:' House Xorlarrin *'Dungeon:' Temple of Lolth Mount Hotenow On the southwest edge of The Crags mountain rage sits a smoking volcano known as Mount Hotenow. Just a few decades previous, the partial awakening of a Primordial deep underground caused Mount Hotenow to erupt in an explosion of fire and ash, destroying the city of Neverwinter. Now, the mighty fire giant Gommoth seeks to awaken the sleeping Primordial once again, bringing fiery destruction to all of the Sword Coast. *'Theme:' Smoking Mountains, Lava Caves *'Enemies:' Gommoth’s Legions (fire dwelling creatures) *'Dungeon:' Lair of Karrundax Pirate’s Skyhold Neverwinter legends say that this high-floating earthmote on the Sword Coast served as an unassailable harbor for sky pirates in the years following the Spellplague. Because the mote floats a hundred feet up and could not be accessed by a direct path from the land, the pirates supposedly stored all manner of treasure there, as safe storage for wealthy or well-connected residents of the city. Then, the story took a dark turn. All the pirates died in one night of blood and betrayal, leaving the treasure and their skyship on the mote—along with whatever slew them. Some people believe that a dragon has claimed the pirates’ loot as its hoard, taking the earthmote as its lair because the city below lacks the means to interfere. *'Theme:' Floating Swamp Island''' ' *'Enemies:' Lizardmen & Undead Pirates *'Dungeon:' Lair of the Pirate King Underdark Northwest of the City of Neverwinter, deep in the Underdark, lies a site known as the Whispering Caverns. In these Northdark caves is a massive magical artifact called the Iron Heart. It is rumored to be the door keeping an ancient evil trapped in the nearby dungeon known as the Dread Vault. Recently an enclave of illithid have seized control of the Upper Vaults while their duergar slaves mine the nearby earth node. They illithids have reached an agreement with the nearby drow settlement - the drow provide protection from outsiders while the illithids unlock the secrets of the vault and share the treasures found there. *'Theme:' Mysterious Caverns' ' *'Enemies:' Drow, Illithid *'Dungeon:''' The Dread Vault Category:Adventure Zones